The Greatest Story Ever Told
by estrellaSMC
Summary: Jonas receives memories of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, called Yeshua in my story. Rated for graphicness of the birth scene.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own the characters of Zadok, Rachel, their children, or the actions of Zadok and Rachel at the birth of Yeshua. They came from the book Jerusalem's Hope by Brock and Bodie Thoene.

I do not own Jonas or the Giver. They belong to Lois Lowry.

I hope that qoheleth doesn't mind my continuing his story that he called "The First Joyful Mystery." Also that he doesn't mind my writing a second memory in the format he used. Especially since I am not Catholic.

Some of the details of the birth of Yeshua came from an online article I found called "The Town Without a Name" by Joan Hunt.

The word "bekor" and definition of the word came from the book Song of the Magdalene by Donna Jo Nappoli.

The "chant" the Giver listened to was the song "Oh Lord, You're Beautiful" by Keith Green. Since Jonas didn't know about music and wasn't able to hear beyond, a song would sound like a chant to him. I also imagine that in addition to the library of books, the Giver also had an "audio library" of all the songs ever written that he could play through the speaker on the wall.

All the scenes involving Yeshua when he was a grown up, as well as what the wise men said when they gave their gifts to Yeshua were taken from the movie The Miracle Maker. Except the part of the crucifixion scene where Yeshua was stabbed in the side with a spear. This was not part of the film.


	2. Chapter 2

"Giver," Jonas asked one day, "Whatever happened to Miriam? You know, the female from that memory?" It was a few days after he had received the memory of Miriam and there had been no more memories about her.

The Giver cocked his head as if considering something, or listening to something. Jonas couldn't tell which it was. Then the Giver smiled, "All right," he said, "I guess it's time you knew the rest of the story. There is actually a bunch memories. Some involve Miriam, some do not, but they're all tied together into one story." The Giver turned away just then, "The greatest story ever told, some have said."

Jonas lay down on the bed of memories, wondering what that could mean. _I guess I'm going to find out_, he thought, as he felt the Giver place his hands on his back.

Like last time, it took longer than usual for the memory to come, and when it did, it came suddenly. Jonas found himself once again as Miriam. She was sitting up, bouncing along on an animal. _Donkey_ his consciousness told him. By the head of the donkey was a man. Miriam's spouse, the carpenter. _Joseph_, thought Jonas. A good, honest sounding name. They were traveling along the road to a small community in the distance. Jonas perceived the name for the community was _Bethlehem_.

A sudden pain in Miriam's stomach caused him to look down. There was a bulge under Miriam's clothing that hadn't been there before. It was there that the pain had come from. _Pregnant,_ Jonas perceived. That bulge under Miriam's clothes was where the newchild that was to be born was. The Son of God, Jonas remembered from the previous memory. Then another pain came and brought with it another word, _labor_. The newchild was on its way. Jonas began to be worried. He knew nothing of how fast the newchild would come. _Would they make it to Bethlehem in time?_ He wondered. _Would there be a place for Miriam to have the baby in safety?_ Another pain came. Jonas winced, wishing he didn't have to share Miriam's pain.

Then there came the sound of a splash. Jonas looked down. Some kind of liquid was running down from between Miriam's legs. _What was that?_ Jonas wondered.

As if in answer to Jonas's question, he heard Miriam speak. "Joseph," she said, "My water just broke." Jonas perceived with this sentence that the newchild was closer to birth. The pain grew much stronger.

Joseph turned and faced Miriam. Jonas could see concern in his eyes. _He loves her_, Jonas thought. Jonas was glad. "Don't worry, Miriam," he said, "We're almost at Bethlehem. We'll find a room at the inn. I promise you won't be having this baby outside."

Jonas felt Miriam's worry fade. Surely Joseph would find a place for them. Another pain hit. Jonas winced. If only there was something Joseph could do about this pain…

Miriam and Joseph traveled into Bethlehem. Jonas looked around. It was a small community, but it was packed with people. He had the impression that it wasn't normally this crowded. The word _census_ came to him. A counting of people. They came to an inn. Joseph went inside. Jonas looked around and realized with a shock that this was the only inn in Bethlehem. There had better be a room here, he thought.

Just then Joseph came out again, shaking his head. Jonas felt his heart plummet. He knew what Joseph was going to say even before he said it. "I'm sorry, Miriam," Joseph said. "The inn is full. They even have people sleeping in the stable."

"What will we do?" Miriam's voice echoed Jonas's thoughts, "I can't have this baby outside."

"I know, Miriam, I know," Joseph said.

There was a man about Joseph's age standing nearby. Jonas perceived the word _shepherd_. He was a strong, sturdy looking man. He carried a long pole with a curved piece at the top that Jonas's consciousness told him was a _staff_. Jonas wrinkled his nose at the smell that came from him. The smell of a type of animal he'd never smelled before. _Sheep_, Jonas perceived, wondering what kind of animal they were. Just then, this shepherd turned to Joseph and Miriam. His eyes were kind. He went over to Joseph and said, "I overheard what you were saying. I know Bethlehem is crowded. My wife and I have a home not too far from here. I know you'll want some privacy for your wife to have her baby. My wife and I have children of our own so the house won't be too private. You can use the stable, though. It's nice and clean. Warm, too."

Joseph looked at Miriam. Jonas felt her head nod. The pain was getting stronger, the interval between pains shorter, the newchild closer to birth. Joseph turned to the shepherd. "Thank you," he said, "We will accept your offer."

The shepherd nodded, "Come with me," he said. He started to walk off, stopped, turned back, smiled at Joseph and Miriam, and said, "I'm Zadok, by the way." He led them through the streets of Bethlehem until they came to a house and nearby a cave cut into the rock wall of a mountain. Jonas realized that this was the stable. He could see enclosures inside with what looked like cotton balls with legs and heads in them. The sheep, he realized. Zadok led them to the stable. Joseph reached for Miriam, and Jonas felt him lift her off the donkey and carry her inside. Zadok went ahead and opened the door of one of the enclosures for them. Joseph went in and laid Miriam on the floor. Some kind of soft, scratchy stuff was on the floor. _Straw_, Jonas realized. He heard Zadok moving around, then saw him put up curtains around the sides of the enclosure, giving it a more enclosed and private feeling. Jonas's mind reeled. This Zadok didn't know Joseph and Miriam at all and he was being so kind!

"Okay," Joseph said, once they were alone. He took Miriam's hand. "It's time for you to start pushing. You hold my hand and squeeze. Listen to my voice. It's okay if you need to cry out." Jonas could feel Miriam pushing. It was hard work. Jonas was beginning to feel tired. _Come on, Miriam,_ Jonas thought, _you can do this. I know you can._ Then, suddenly, Miriam gave one strong push and both she and Jonas felt relief.

"WAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!" A loud and lusty cry rang through the stable. "He's here!" Joseph cried. Jonas realized at this moment that Joseph had known of the special identity of this baby.

Jonas watched as Joseph cleaned off the male newchild. He wrapped him in a cloth and gave him to Miriam. Jonas looked down. There was something in the newchild's eyes. Peace. Love. Something that reached into his very soul. He felt joy looking at the newchild. _Yeshua_, Jonas realized. A perfect name. Miriam nursed Yeshua and he fell asleep in her arms. Joseph then took the newchild and placed him in a wooden container with straw in it. _Manger_, Jonas realized.

Just at that moment a woman came up to the enclosure. She smiled. In her hands, she held a pot. "I'm Rachel," she said, "Zadok's wife. I brought you some soup." She came into the enclosure and set the pot down nearby. Next to it she set a loaf of bread, two bowls, and two spoons. Jonas sniffed. It smelled good. His and Miriam's stomach's growled at the same time. Rachel looked around and saw Yeshua lying in the manger. She got up and went over to him. "Ohhhh," she said. Then she turned to Miriam, "Boy or girl?" she asked.

"Boy," Miriam answered. Joseph helped her sit up, leaning against the wall of the enclosure.

"What's his name?" Rachel asked.

"Yeshua," Miriam responded as Joseph handed her a bowl of soup and then settled down next to her with one for himself. "He's my first."

"Ah," Rachel said, "A bekor." _A what?_ Jonas thought. Then it came to him. A first newchild who is male. The greatest pleasure in Miriam's world. Rachel smiled, "I have children, too."

"How many?" Miriam asked.

"Three," Rachel replied. Then, with a note of pride in her voice, added, "All boys, too." This caused Jonas another realization. In Miriam's world, male newchildren were valued much higher than females.

"What are their names?" Miriam asked.

"First, there's Enoch, he's three. Then Samuel, he's just about a year. Then Gaddi, he's only a few months old." Rachel listed her children with pride, Jonas noticed. The three of them continued to chatter in this way while they shared the soup Rachel had brought. Then Rachel went up to the house, taking the pot, bowls, and spoons with her. Miriam and Joseph settled down to sleep.

It seemed like Miriam had just closed her eyes when suddenly they snapped open again. There stood Zadok and several other shepherds. Zadok explained in halting tones what he had seen. An angel. An announcement that the new Messiah had been born. The baby, this baby, was in his own stable.

Then it ended.

Jonas looked up at the Giver. He slowly sat up. Their eyes connected, remembering the memory Jonas had just received.


	3. Chapter 3

The moment ended, and the Giver said in a more businesslike way, "There's another memory that ties very closely into that one. Lie back down, and I will transmit this one to you."

Jonas did, and in a moment he found himself in a room. He was once again Miriam. Joseph was there, as were Zadok and Rachel. He saw a bed out of the corner of his eye with three children asleep. Zadok's children. They were in Zadok's house now, Jonas's consciousness told him. He looked down. Baby Yeshua was in Miriam's arms. His eyes were open and he smiled. Jonas smiled back. He couldn't help it.

Then there came a knock at the door. Zadok went to answer it. There were three men, dressed in fine clothes. The first two had light colored skin and the third had dark skin. _Kings_, Jonas perceived. _The Chief Elders of Miriam's world_. They walked in. In their hands they held containers of some sort.

The first one came forwards and opened a small box which he put down on a table next to which Miriam was sitting. The contents glittered in the light of a lamp. "Gold is for a king," he said, "The riches of his glory."

The second one came forwards and set down some kind of vessel. It looked like it was made of glass. "Frankincense is for prayer," he said, "A fragrant offering to God." Jonas could smell it. A sort of musky smell.

"Myrrh is for sorrow and the day of death," the third one, the dark-skinned one, said, "A doorway into life." He came forwards and set down a white clay vessel. It, too, had a smell. A sharp, pungent smell. Then the three of them bowed and left.

The memory ended.

Jonas sat up. Again his eyes and those of the Giver connected. The Giver nodded and said, "That will be all for today. There will be more tomorrow."

Jonas peddled home that day, eager to go back the next day and learn more of the story.


	4. Chapter 4

Jonas rushed into the Annex the next day. He could not wait to get the next chapter in the story these memories told. He found the Giver sitting near the speaker. A voice he had never heard came out of the speaker in a kind of chant: "Oh Lord, you're beautiful. Your face is all I seek. For when your eyes are on this child. Your grace abounds to me. Oh Lord, you're beautiful. Your face is all I seek. For when your eyes are on this child. Your grace abounds to me. I want to take your word and shine it all around. But first help me just to live it Lord. And when I'm doing well, help me to never seek a crown. For my reward is giving glory to you. Oh Lord, please light the fire. That once burned bright and clear. Replace the lamp of my first love. That burns with Holy fear. I want to take your word and shine it all around. But first help me just to live it Lord. And when I'm doing well, help me to never seek a crown. For my reward is giving glory to you. Oh Lord, you're beautiful. Your face is all I seek. For when your eyes are on this child. Your grace abounds to me. Oh Lord, you're beautiful. Your face is all I seek. For when your eyes are on this child. Your grace abounds to me." Jonas also noticed that the Giver's lips were moving as if saying the words along with the speaker. Obviously he knew these words.

Jonas politely waited until it was over, then said, "Giver?"

The Giver jumped…almost guiltily…and turned to Jonas. He quickly turned off the speaker. "Jonas," he said. He stood up, "Are you ready? These next memories will be some of the most powerful you have received."

Jonas squared his shoulders, "I'm ready," he said. Then he removed his shirt and lay down on the bed.

Jonas felt the Giver's hands on his back and the memory instantly started. It was almost as if the Giver had been working on retrieving it before he placed his hands on Jonas. This time he was himself, but he was dressed in the style of clothing that people in Miriam's community wore. His face itched and when he reached up to scratch it his fingers encountered hair. _A beard_, he realized. It was something that in this time men wore. He remembered that Joseph and Zadok had them. The Giver had one, too, now that he thought of it. Jonas ran his hand along it. He decided he liked how it felt. It would take some getting used to, but he liked it. He was taller, too, he realized, and older. Maybe about in his thirties. He noticed a community in the distance and other people walking along the same road. _Jerusalem_, Jonas realized was the name of the community. They were talking about a man named Yeshua. Jonas realized that this was Miriam's son. So, he was a full-grown man now. There was a story of raising a girl from death. Death? Jonas wondered. Then he realized it was their way of saying Loss. Curing people of being paralyzed, of demons, of leprosy. Jonas realized that leprosy was a disease in that world. He had seen people paralyzed in past memories. He also realized that in those days seizures were a sign of possessions by things called demons. A story about a voice from Heaven saying Yeshua was God's son. All the stories he heard were very piecemeal but what he heard was incredible. So incredible he could almost not believe it. Suddenly he looked to his left and saw another man. His hair and beard were black. His eyes were brown. His robe was a dark red color. He had a white cloak wrapped around him. He could be any average person, yet there was a kind of aura about him. There were twelve men walking behind him. Jonas threaded his way through the crowd until he was by the man's side. He wanted to walk by this man, to talk to him. Yet, when he got over to him, he found himself tongue-tied.

"Peace be with you," the man said, turning to look at him.

Jonas recognized the greeting and gave the correct response, "And also with you," he said. Then he said, "I'm a new person in this country. Who is this Yeshua I have heard about?"

The man turned to look Jonas in the eye, "I am he," he said. His eyes seemed to look straight into Jonas's heart and know everything about him. Then he smiled and placed his hand on Jonas's shoulder, "You may walk with us if you wish." Jonas happily fell into step next to Yeshua. It was one of the happiest times in Jonas's life. He wished the walk could go on forever.

That evening Jonas listened to the happy, good-natured joking and teasing among the twelve men who had been walking together behind Yeshua. Yeshua himself was talking to some other people at a different fire. He wished he could join them. Then, one of them came over to him. He smiled, "Hi," he said, "I'm Andrew. Want to come sit with us? We have a fire. It's kinda chilly out here at night."

Jonas smiled and got to his feet, "I'd love to," he said. Andrew led him back to the fire. One disciple, named Simon Peter, gave him some food. He told them of his confusion about what was going on. They, knowing he was a newcomer, explained everything. They told Jonas they were Yeshua's disciples and told him of everything that had happened while they were with him. They talked long into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Jonas awoke early and saw Yeshua already up. He got up and joined Yeshua standing on a small hill. Together they watched the sunrise. Suddenly, through the morning mist, came a man riding a donkey straight for Yeshua. The man tried to stop the donkey, but it reared up on Yeshua. Jonas was frightened that it would knock Yeshua over, but it didn't. The man got off the donkey, "Teacher…" the man panted.

"Reuben!" Yeshua exclaimed.

"I've ridden…all night…" Reuben said.

"What's happened?" Yeshua demanded.

"It's…Lazarus…he's so sick," Reuben said.

"Lazarus," Yeshua whispered. Jonas had an image of a friend. A good friend. He thought of Asher. Lazarus was like that to Yeshua.

"Please, you must come to us," Reuben begged. "Martha and Mary…they're begging you…please…if you don't come now…"

"Reuben," Yeshua said gently, "Tell Martha and Mary I will come. I will come soon." Then he turned and walked away.

"Please!" Reuben screamed after him.

Jonas ran after Yeshua, "Why didn't you go?" he asked, "Why? If your friend…"

"There is…a purpose…in our…grief," Yeshua said. Then he placed a hand on Jonas's shoulder. "All this will be for the glory of God," he added.

Then everything became confusing. That memory ended and another began. He was once again walking with Yeshua when they came to a house. Two women ran out to Yeshua. "Lord…" one of the women said. Then she began weeping and fell into his arms. Jonas perceived her name was _Mary_.

Yeshua held her at arms length and said, "Where have you laid him?" The other woman came forwards and took the one who was crying in her arms. This one, Jonas realized, was _Martha_. These were the sisters of the one called Lazarus. These two led Yeshua and the crowd behind him, including Jonas, to a cave. The entrance was blocked by a stone. _Grave_, Jonas realized, _a place where dead people are placed_. Lazarus, Yeshua's friend, was lost. Jonas thought about what he'd feel if he'd lost Asher and was overwhelmed with sympathy. He started to chant softly under his breath, "Lazarus, Lazarus, Lazarus..."

Yeshua spoke. "Take away the stone," he said.

"The stone?" Martha said, "But…Lord…there will be a stench. He's been in the grave for four days." Jonas realized that in this country the bodies of the dead decomposed quickly. Four days was enough for the process to have started. He understood Martha's concern. Surely Yeshua would agree…

Yeshua turned to Martha and said in a scolding tone, "Didn't I tell you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?" He asked. Three of the men that Jonas now knew of as Yeshua's disciples went forwards and rolled the stone away from the entrance. Jonas sniffed the air. There was no smell of decay, which he found odd. Yeshua pulled the cloak over his head. "I thank you, Father," he said, "Because you have heard me, I know you will always hear me. But I say this for all the people here so…so they will believe…that you sent me." With that, he entered the tomb. "Lazarus!" Jonas heard him call, "Come!" Then Yeshua came out again, leading a person wrapped in cloth like a package. Yeshua removed a cloth from the person's head. _Lazarus_, Jonas realized.

Lazarus blinked and looked around. Then he focused on Yeshua's face. "Master?" he asked.

Yeshua turned to Martha and Mary, putting a hand on Lazarus's shoulder. "Unbind him," he said, "Let him go."


	6. Chapter 6

This time, when the memory ended, Jonas found himself back on the bed in the Giver's room. The Giver twinkled at him. Jonas laughed with delight at what he'd just seen. "Guess Yeshua sure showed them, huh?" he said.

The Giver nodded, "Yes," he said, "But now things get a lot gloomier for Yeshua. This memory is a very long one. It tells the story of one very long night and most of the next day. Lie back down and you'll see what I mean."

Jonas did and soon he was in the midst of the memory. He was once again the person he'd been in the past two memories. It was nighttime and there was a fire. There was Yeshua. Two people Jonas recognized from before came forwards. "Teacher," one of them said, "Come with us, sit by our fire."

The other man spoke. "There are many things we don't understand," he said.

Yeshua appeared scared…no, Jonas decided. Wrong word. Or maybe it was, he couldn't tell. Certainly uneasy. Nervous maybe. For once in his life he couldn't find the right word. "I will come and talk to you, Cleopas," he said. Jonas realized that Cleopas was the name of the second man who had spoken. "I promise," Yeshua continued. "I will come to you, Jairus, very soon…and we will talk of many things." _Jairus_, Jonas thought. He recognized the name. Wasn't it his little girl Yeshua had brought back to life? Yes, it was.

Now a girl, she looked to be about an Eleven who Jonas perceived was Jairus' daughter, ran up to Yeshua. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"You can't come with me now," Yeshua said, kneeling down so he was on eye level with her, "But one day you will."

"I don't want you to go," the girl said, holding on to him.

"Ssssh, Ssssh," Yeshua said softly, "Don't be upset, don't be afraid. In my father's house are so many rooms. So many! I'm going to find a wonderful place for you. One day, you'll always be with me." Yeshua stood up again and said, "Simon Peter, James, John, no one else." Then he walked into the trees that were near the fire. Three of the disciples followed him into the trees for a bit. Jonas followed them and then darted into the trees so he could get past them to where Yeshua was. Jonas saw Yeshua drop to his knees. "Father," he said, and clasped his hands, "Father. Let there be some other way. Let there be…let there be some other way!" Suddenly a cup hovered in the air. Yeshua backed up on hands and knees. "No!" he cried, "Take this cup away! Take…Take it away! Take it away! Father! Father! Dear father, listen to me! Listen! If there is another way. A way out. A way out."

Jonas perceived another in the garden as well. The same presence he had felt in the first memory. The evil presence. The one who hadn't wanted Miriam to say yes to giving birth to Yeshua. Now it was in more human form. Jonas thought he could almost see something. Something dark. Jonas heard a voice. "What are you waiting for?" the voice said, "Run! There's still time. Run! Run for it!" Yeshua and Jonas looked in the direction the presence indicated. A path opened up through the trees. "Come on!" the thing yelled, running off down the path. _Don't follow him Yeshua,_ Jonas thought.

"No!" Yeshua said, sweeping his direction in the direction of the escape route, "No! It's not my will! Not my will! It's your will! Your will! Your will be done! Your will! Father!" Then he seemed to calm down, "your will," he repeated in a softer voice, "Father, father. Your will…be done." _Phew!_ Jonas thought. Jonas followed Yeshua out to where the three disciples were. They were sound asleep. Jonas watched from the fringe of the woods and shook his head in disgust. Yeshua looked down at them. "Simon Peter," he said, "Couldn't you watch with me for a single hour?" Simon Peter and the others began to wake up. "Get up now," Yeshua said, staring off in the distance to where Jonas could barely make out the figure of a man, "The moment has come."

Simon Peter yawned, stretched, looked, and shrugged, "It's only Judas," he said. Jonas looked, and sure enough, it was one of the disciples. _Surely Yeshua doesn't mean him_, Jonas thought.

Judas went up to Yeshua and kissed him. "Judas," Yeshua said softly, "Would you betray me…with a kiss?"

Suddenly men with lanterns jumped out of the bushes. They held what looked like long knives in their hands. _Swords_, Jonas realized. They also had ropes and things Jonas's awareness told him were _spears_ and _clubs_. He perceived they were _soldiers_. Simon Peter drew a sword he had attached to his belt and cut a man's ear off. Everyone stopped in their place. "No!" Yeshua yelled. He leaned over and touched the man's ear. It was instantly reattached. Then Yeshua turned to Simon Peter and said, "Don't you think my father could send twelve legions of angels to my rescue if I asked? But that is not the way." The soldiers came forwards, holding the lanterns in his face and then binding him with ropes. "Why do you come with swords and clubs as if I am a criminal?" Yeshua asked. "Every day I was in the temple and you didn't lay a finger on me. But this is your time now! The kingdom of darkness." They led him off. Jonas followed.

He saw everything that night. The trial, the trip to see a man called _Herod_, and then finally appearing before another man called _Pilate_.

Just before sunrise, Pilate stood before mobs of people. "What do you want me to do with him?" Pilate asked.

"Crucify him!" the crowd called.

Jonas had hid himself in a nook of the building so he heard everything. He shivered. He didn't like the sound of that word. He didn't know what it meant, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Pilate then turned to Yeshua. "Who are you?" he asked, "Where do you really come from? Don't you realize I have the power to release you or to crucify you?"

Yeshua looked Pilate in the eye. There was a kind of peace in his face, Jonas saw. His voice held no fear, or any emotion as he replied, "you would have no power over me if it hadn't been given to you…from above."

"From above?" Pilate repeated, looking puzzled.

Then he turned back to the crowd. "You have a custom to release one prisoner at Passover," he said. _Passover?_ Jonas wondered. Then it came to him that it was some kind of celebration. "A tradition I respect," Pilate continued. "Shall I release the King of the Jews for you?" Pilate pointed at Yeshua as he asked this.

"We want Barabbas!" one of them called. The other took up the cry.

"A murderer?!" Pilate exclaimed, "Don't you want your King?!"

"The only king we want is Caesar," someone nearby replied, "and if you do nothing about this man, then you are no friend of Caesar."

Pilate hesitated then he said, "I'm washing my hands of this. Of all of you. All of you!" He dipped his hands in a golden bowl, rubbed them, and then shook them off. He turned to a nearby soldier and said, "Deal with their King according to Roman law." Then he left.

Jonas then found himself transported to outside the gates. The sun was just rising. He saw a figure nearby that he recognized as the man called Jairus. He heard a door open. His head snapped around. Somebody came staggering out. He was bleeding profusely. There was a crown made of wood on his head. Jonas saw that there were sharp needle-like things on it. _Thorns_, he realized. The man's gait was awkward. Jonas saw that the man's arms had been tied to a big, rectangular stone, about the same width and thickness as a plank of wood. Jonas gasped as he looked past the blood and saw the man's face. _Yeshua_. Jairus had run off. Jonas followed him and arrived in the camp in time to hear him cry. "They're taking him. They're taking him! They're…_killing him_!" Jonas felt himself swept along by the crowd. The soldiers fended the people off. Jonas watched as they drove Yeshua forwards towards a hill in the distance. When they got there, they untied the stone from his shoulders and removed Yeshua's clothes except his crown. Then they laid him down on a wooden structure of two planks nailed together so they were perpendicular to each other. _A cross_, Jonas realized.

Nails were taken. A hammer raised. When it fell Jonas heard a cry. Only then did he realize what was happening. The soldiers were nailing Yeshua to the cross. Jonas clapped his hands to his ears.

Then the soldiers used ropes to pull the cross so it was standing on one end. There was Yeshua. One arm nailed to the left "arm" of the cross. The other to the other one. His feet were crossed and a nail driven through them to the bottom part of the cross.

Dark clouds suddenly rolled in, blocking out the sun.

Jonas recognized a man from the trial. He looked up. There were tears in his eyes. "I…could not…save him," he said, his voice choked with grief. "I…I was silent." Jonas remembered he was the one who had said that the trial was illegal. The others had quickly shot him down.

"Lord!" a woman nearby cried. Jonas recognized her as Mary Magdalene. She had been healed by Yeshua and now followed him.

Jonas also heard mocking.

"He saved everyone else," someone said, "Why doesn't he save himself?"

"If he is the Messiah," another said, "Let him come down now."

Jonas heard another voice, that of the evil presence, whispering to Yeshua, "Come down now. Leap off! Prove your power. If you are the Son of God. If…"

At that moment a wind sprang up. Jonas braced himself against it and shielded his eyes from it. Yeshua pulled himself up. "Father!" he cried, "Father! I give you my spirit." There was a slight pause, then Yeshua cried out, "It is finished!" His body went limp, his eyes clouded over and closed. Jonas recognized these things from the soldier in the memory of war. _He's dead! Yeshua is dead!_ Jonas bowed his head, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't believe it.

One of the soldiers stared up at the cross. "It's true," he whispered, "It must be true…that this man…was a Son of God." Then he picked up a spear, hesitated, and handed it to anther soldier. This soldier took the spear and stabbed Yeshua in the side. Blood and a clear liquid like water flowed out. The blood looked dark and thick as if it had clotted. Jonas knew for sure Yeshua was dead then. If he hadn't been, the blood wouldn't have clotted and would come out in spurts with every heartbeat. Jonas shuddered. It was a gruesome scene.

The memory ended.

Jonas opened his eyes and blinked. Tears coursed down his face. He looked up at the Giver. He, too, had tears in his eyes. They shared their grief. Jonas sat up. The Giver looked at Jonas and he said, "Yeshua was buried in a tomb owned by a rich secret follower. Nobody before had been buried in it. You saw the follower in the memory. He was the one who said he couldn't save Yeshua. That will be all for today. Do not come back until the day after tomorrow."

Jonas spent the rest of the day and all the next day in his sleeping room. He silently grieved for Yeshua. The man in the memories he had come to know. How could this have happened? So much for all the grand things the angel in the first memory said Yeshua would do. Jonas no longer had school and since the Giver had told him not to come back until the day after, he had nowhere he had to go. He would only come out to eat. His family was worried about him.


	7. Chapter 7

Jonas was still grieving for Yeshua when he entered the Annex. The Giver came over to him. His eyes were twinkling and he smiled at Jonas. "We have much to do today, Jonas," he said. "We'd better get started."

Jonas had been holding back his grief. Now, however, at hearing the Giver act as if it were just a normal day, tears came to his eyes and spilled over. "How can you act as if it's just a normal day, Giver?" he cried. "Yeshua's dead. He's gone. I still can't believe it."

The Giver sobered down and came over to Jonas, "I know it's hard," he said. "I went through the same thing when I received that memory. But you must remember that life goes on. Even after a tragedy like that, life does go on." He put his arm around Jonas's shoulders and led him to the bed. "Lie down, Jonas," he said, "I think there's a memory that will help you with this."

Jonas sat down, removed his tunic, and then lay, face down on the bed. He really didn't want to, but the Giver had said it might help. He was willing to try it. Jonas felt the Giver's hands on his back and the memory came. He found himself once again in the world of Yeshua. He looked around. There was a tomb, like the one Lazarus had been buried in. This one, his consciousness told him, was Yeshua's. The stone, oddly enough, was rolled away from the entrance. He looked in. He was surprised not to see a body. There was a cloth on the floor of the tomb. _The graveclothes_ his consciousness said.

He heard someone coming and quickly darted into a bunch of trees nearby. Along came Mary Magdalene. She went into the tomb and saw the graveclothes on the floor. He heard her say, "They've taken the body. They've taken the body." Then she came back out again. "Ohhhh, oh, my Lord, my Lord," she said. Then she sat down and started to cry.

Jonas saw somebody come up behind her. He didn't recognize who it was. The person spoke, "Why are you crying?" he asked. Jonas recognized the voice, but he couldn't think where from.

"They have taken my Lord away," Mary Magdalene said, "and I do not know where they have put him." Then she started weeping again.

The person sat down. Now Jonas could see his face. He stared. He couldn't believe it. It was Yeshua! Now Jonas remembered where he had heard the voice before…from the past memories! Yeshua spoke again. "Tell me who you are looking for," he said.

Mary Magdalene struggled to get control of her grief, then she said, "Oh sir…if you're the gardener…please tell me where they've taken him."

"Mary," Yeshua said.

Mary Magdalene turned around. Then she gasped, "Lord?" she asked. He nodded. She jumped up and laid her head against his chest. It was something like what a child might do with a parent, Jonas thought, watching her.

"You don't need to cling to me now," Yeshua said. Mary Magdalene stepped away. "Go!" Yeshua said joyfully, "Tell everyone! Tell Peter!" Then he disappeared. "I…have seen…" Mary Magdalene said to herself, "the Lord." Then she went running off. Jonas was hot on her heels. "I have seen the Lord!" Mary Magdalene cried as she raced past a couple of women headed for the tomb, "He's alive!"

Jonas caught up with Mary Magdalene. They looked at each other and laughed aloud with joy, knowing they had both seen him. She hooked her arm through his and side by side they ran through the streets of the community of Jerusalem.

Up ahead Jonas saw Simon Peter. He was standing on top of a wall, turned in the other direction. Mary Magdalene grinned at Jonas. He freed his arm from hers and gave her a push, "Go on," he said.

She ran up a set of steps until she was standing next to Simon Peter. She was out of breath. "Seen…seen…" she gasped.

"Seen, what is it? What have you seen?" Simon Peter demanded.

"Seen…come…the Lord." Mary Magdalene finally got out.

"You've seen Yeshua?" Simon Peter asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. He was doubtful at best. "Mary, everyone else is downstairs, comforting each other…"

Mary Magdalene pulled away, "He's alive!" she exclaimed, "I've seen him with my own eyes!" Then she tugged at him, "Come _on_," she said. Then she ran back down the steps.

Simon Peter ran after her, protesting, "The grief has made you mad!"

Jonas dashed after them, back to the tomb. He was getting tired from all this running around, but he wouldn't miss what he was seeing He saw Simon Peter go into the tomb. This time Jonas poked his head in. He saw Simon Peter pick up a corner of the cloth and hold it to himself. "Who's done this?" he asked. Then he let go of the cloth and came out again. He walked away from the tomb. Yeshua suddenly appeared and walked out to meet him. Simon Peter looked up, then down, then his head snapped up again. His eyes went wide, and he smiled.

Jonas looked at Yeshua standing there. Alive. A word popped into his mind; _Messiah_. It fit this image of Yeshua perfectly.


	8. Chapter 8

Jonas looked up at the Giver. "He's alive," Jonas whispered. "But…how…"The Giver smiled. "It was all foretold long ago by people called _prophets_. There is a memory that will help. Well, actually it's a memory in a memory. Lie back down and I'll transmit it to you."

Jonas found himself in a room with the disciples. He looked around. Judas wasn't there, of course. Jonas realized that Judas had killed himself. The knowledge came to him out of the air, as it sometimes did in memories.

There was Simon Peter in the middle of the room. "The Lord!" he exclaimed. "I…I thought they had taken the body."

"Who?" someone asked.

"Priests…Romans…" Simon Peter said. Jonas realized that _priests_ was the word for the people he'd come to know as bad guys and _Romans_ was another word for the soldiers. "But, he was there!" Simon Peter continued "In front of my eyes! In front of me! This near!" Simon Peter thrust his face close to that of Andrew.

"I _cannot believe_ what I am hearing!" the disciple called Thomas exclaimed. Thomas got up from where he was sitting and walked to the door.

"Thomas! I _saw_ him!" Simon Peter exclaimed, following him.

"You're crazy! All of you! Dreams! Visions! Everyone's going _mad_!" Thomas exclaimed. Then he forcefully turned the doorknob and added, "I'm leaving!"

Just then the door flew open, knocking Thomas to the floor. Cleopas and Jairus burst in. "The Lord!" Cleopas exclaimed. Thomas lay on the floor, groaned, and rubbed his side where the door had hit him. Jonas couldn't tell if it was a groan of pain or one of disgust. Jonas smiled. Maybe both. Cleopas and Jairus looked at each other.

"We have seen…" Jairus said.

"We've seen him!" Cleopas exclaimed.

"On the road from Jerusalem, on the road, right beside us!" Jairus exclaimed. He still looked as if he didn't quite believe it.

"He was with us," Cleopas said. "We didn't realize. We didn't recognize him!"

"That's because he's in your imagination, Cleopas," Thomas said from his place on the floor.

"On the road!" Cleopas exclaimed, "Thomas!"

"We were on the way to Emmaus," Jairus said.

"To my cousin's house!" Cleopas jumped in. Jonas felt himself being pulled into the new memory. He was walking along with Jairus and Cleopas. They walked with their heads down. Cleopas continued to narrate. "The women and children had gone ahead of us for safety."

"We had agreed to travel to Emmaus, stay a few days, and travel back," Jairus said.

"As we were walking," Cleopas said, "This man came up to us."

Now the narration stopped. Jonas was fully in the memory. He saw, up ahead, a man. It was Yeshua, but his hood was over his face. He couldn't see the marks of the nails because the sleeves of Yeshua's robe hid them. Yeshua waved a hand in greeting. He held a staff in his other hand. "Hello! Hello!" Yeshua called, "Do you mind if I join you?"

"No…" Cleopas said with a despondent shrug, "No."

Yeshua walked with them for a few minutes before speaking again. "It…um…sounded like an interesting conversation," he said.

"Some things are too terrible to explain," Cleopas said.

"What things?" Yeshua asked.

"What things?!" Jairus exclaimed, "The horrible death of Yeshua from Galilee." Jonas realized that Galilee was the name of the bunch of cities where Yeshua had lived most of his life.

"Tell me about it," Yeshua said.

"Tell you!" Cleopas exclaimed, "Where have you been?!"

"We believed he was a great prophet," Jairus said. "More than that."

"That he was the chosen one," Cleopas added. "Who would…save Israel." _Israel_, Jonas realized, was their world.

Yeshua had walked on ahead on the path. He turned around. The sun was behind him. "Oh," he said, "The Messiah!"

"But how could the messiah die the death of a common criminal?" Jairus asked. He and Cleopas shaded their eyes.

Yeshua chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, foolish men," he said. "You are so learned. You talk of prophets. Have you never read the prophets? You talk of the Messiah, but don't you understand that…he had to die? Don't you understand the Scriptures at all?" he chuckled again. It was a gentle kind of laugh. Jonas recognized it as the same kind of laugh he'd heard from the Giver on occasion. Patient. Kind. Yet, amused at what had just been said. Jonas knew, somehow that, like the Giver, Yeshua was going to explain everything.

He walked along with the three of them. Jairus spoke. Not Jairus-the-character, but Jairus-the-narrator. "He began to teach us about the scriptures."

"Beginning with Moses," Cleopas, narrating as well, added, "right through."

"Everything," Jairus said, "The whole scriptures."

The narration stopped again and Jairus and Cleopas were once again characters in the memory. Jonas noticed it had gone dark. The sun had gone down. Jairus stopped at a house and knocked. Yeshua started to go on. Jonas followed with Cleopas. "You must come in and eat with us," Cleopas said.

"Well…" Yeshua said.

"No, no," Jairus said, taking his arm and steering him back towards the house he'd knocked at. "It's too late to travel on."

"Well, if it's all right," Yeshua said, "I'll stay a little longer."

"As long as you can," Cleopas said. They ushered him inside the house. Jonas quickly followed them.

"Even then we still didn't recognize him," Jairus's voice, narrating, cut into the memory.

"Who is it, Mother?" Jairus's daughter asked.

"Someone they met on…the road," her mother replied.

"Who _is_ it?" the daughter asked again.

Jonas was sitting at the table. "Sir," Cleopas began, "as our honored friend, would you…um…"

"Would you do the blessing for us?" Jairus asked.

Yeshua looked at him, "I will have to be going soon," he said.

"We understand," Cleopas said, "but…um…"

Yeshua reached for a piece of bread. Jonas saw the nail marks. Behind him he heard a gasp and the voice of Jairus's daughter whispered. "It is…I know who it is."

Yeshua raised the piece of bread high in the air, and he spoke the blessing. "Blessed are you, oh Lord, our God, who brings forth bread from the earth." He broke the bread and then there was a bright flash.

Jonas found himself back among the disciples. "Then he was gone," Cleopas said, "Vanished!"

"He just went," Jairus said.

"No one there," Cleopas said.

"No one…there," Thomas repeated.

"No one!" Cleopas said. "An empty place. Two pieces of broken bread…a cup…and everyone was crying…and laughing…and crying."

"Well," Thomas said, getting up, "I'm sorry, but unless I see him right here! Right here! Before me. Like that. In front of me…right here, and unless I see the mark of the nails and put my finger into those wounds. I _will not believe_!"

Jonas grinned. Just at that moment, Yeshua appeared behind Thomas and said, "Thomas."

"What?" Thomas shouted.

"Thomas," Yeshua said again.

"I've got nothing on this matter to say to anyone," Thomas exclaimed, turning around. "Any…any…" He saw Yeshua standing there and stared at him. "Anyone…at…all," he said, falling to his knees.

Yeshua didn't look angry. He looked patient. Again Jonas thought of the Giver. "Go on," Yeshua said, pulling up his sleeve and revealing a nail mark, "Put your finger here. Touch the marks. Don't be a doubter any more. Believe."

Thomas reached out to Yeshua. "My Lord," he said, "and my God."

"Yes," Yeshua said, reaching down and helping Thomas to his feet. "You believe because you have seen me, Thomas. But happier still are those who believe without ever seeing me at all."


	9. Chapter 9

Jonas smiled at the Giver. He understood now. The Giver smiled back. Then he said, "There's one more memory in this group, Jonas. I will transmit it to you. This will be the last for today."

Jonas once again found himself in Yeshua's world. He was on a mountain top. Yeshua was there. So were the eleven disciples, Mary Magdalene, the man who had mourned at the crucifixion scene that he had been silent at Yeshua's trial, Jairus and his family, Cleopas, the soldier who had said that Yeshua was a Son of God, and many more that Jonas didn't know. Yeshua spoke, moving among the people. "Go throughout all the world and make disciples of every nation. Baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. For the Spirit will come upon you soon. The Spirit will come upon you. And I will be with you always. Even to the end of the world." Then he disappeared from view.

A little child walked around the place where Yeshua had stood a moment ago. Jairus's daughter went up to him and said, "Don't be worried or upset. In my Father's house are many rooms."

"In Capernaum," the child said. Jonas realized that this was the name of the girl's community.

She laughed, "Yes!" she exclaimed. "In Capernaum, in Jerusalem. In the whole world. The kingdom of God has come. And now he is with us forever." Jonas felt a tingle race up and down his spine at these words. _The Kingdom of God_, he thought, _just like in the first memory_.

The memory ended. Jonas looked up at the Giver and saw something he had never seen before in the old man's eyes. He knew, then, something that he had only suspected before. "You're a disciple of Yeshua, aren't you, Giver?" he asked.

"Yes," the Giver said. "Someone who loves Yeshua. Someone who knows his story. His love for us. He died because he loved us. He died to save us from the bad things we've done that would keep us from being with him, Jonas."

Jonas had received the memory of the family that the Giver had said was his favorite. He knew about love, now. Jonas realized he, too, was a disciple. "Then I am one, too, Giver," he said.


End file.
